I am terribly behind on my Casting Coups, so I feel it's only fair that I delay them another whole month. School has started up again, and for the first time since Freshman year, I have to take liberal arts classes again: French Women's Lit, African-American Women's Lit, Intro to Old Testament! In addition, post-production work and figuring out my plans for after I graduate.
Sadly, this also means I haven't seen a movie in over a week. Was Piranha 3D really the last theater experience I've had, two Saturdays ago? The horror! The shame! The money!
Stay tuned.
Showing posts with label film school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film school. Show all posts
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ten Things I Know About Me
Andrew of Encore Entertainment tagged me in a meme, an action that makes me feel like I'm officially in the Oscar Blogger Clique. I am to list off ten cinema facts...about myself. I often write about movies I see, but I don't think I really get into my own personal relationship with Le Cinema too often. Might as well now.
1. First things first, and I think I've mentioned this before: I go to film school. I don't know how I managed this coup, but I did. There was always a desire to be a writer-director, but film school taught me that such a creature is rare indeed. It also taught me that I do not want to be a director at all. The final lesson: though I do not write enough about cinematographers, nor do I pretend to know much about the craft itself...working with a camera is fucking sexy, and when you actually get a scene lit and framed perfectly, you feel like you can accomplish anything, like taming a wild bear.
2. The last time I saw Ghost, I literally bawled out loud, with the sobbing and hiccuping and everything. And this was at a party. I think it should have won Best Picture that year. True, it's been years since I've seen Dances with Wolves, and I love Awakenings and Goodfellas, and I haven't seen The Godfather: Part III. But Ghost, for me, is tops.
3. My first favorite movie was the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi. Universal horror was my bread and butter. The Black Cat, The Wolf Man, The Mummy...I even watched The Mummy's Hand and Tower of London. So it should come as no surprise that I love a lot of horror movies. I find the Franchise That Refuses to Die aspect of the genre charming, thus my adoration of the Saw movies. This love of horror also informs my choice for Favorite Actor of My Entire Life: Vincent Price.
4. I only read books and plays that sound like they'd make good movies. If they aren't already, that is, for most of my reading list consists of movies coming out later in the year. This may be a shallow way of going about literature, but that really covers a broad spectrum.
5. My sister Virginia nurtured my love of cinema. She pointed me to the great actresses: Mae West, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, and so on and so forth. It was she who encouraged me to embrace both classic and modern films. Only Virginia could introduce me to both How to Marry a Millionaire and Party Monster. Once, we even walked together to rent some movies. It was Virginia who took me to see Return of the Jedi and Spice World, and together we managed to make it through The Forgotten. She's an independent filmmaker in Atlanta, so hopefully one of us will have our name in lights in the future.
6. I've only 57 of the original AFI Top 100. I've only seen 61 of the new AFI Top 100. Among the films I've never seen: A Streetcar Named Desire, Schindler's List, Raging Bull, Sunset Boulevard and The Manchurian Candidate. I feel like a partial failure because of this.
7. When I watch a movie, I try to decide how it could translate to the stage. Nixon, for instance, is an opera, as is Elmer Gantry. Eyes Wide Shut is a ballet. I personally love the trend of turning movies into stage musicals, because I'm always thinking that way. The Wedding Singer is a great musical from a great movie; ditto The Producers and Hairspray. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but that's the same with any musical.
8. My celebrity crush of forever is Drew Barrymore. I have a DVD of her wishing me happy birthday at the premiere of Music and Lyrics. She's more than just a pretty face, of course. My favorite performances of hers, in order: The Wedding Singer, Ever After, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Grey Gardens, Everyone Says I Love You, Irreconcilable Differences. Strangely, I've seen none of her work between 1984 and 1995. Also strangely, I hate ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.
9. Top Ten Actresses, in order: Maggie Smith, Meryl Streep, Drew Barrymore, Patricia Clarkson, Bette Davis, Judi Dench, Audrey Hepburn, Julianne Moore, Susan Sarandon, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Top Ten Actors, in order: Vincent Price, Michael Caine, William Hurt, James Mason, William H. Macy, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Philip Baker Hall, Henry Gibson, Woody Allen
10. Musicals are my absolute favorite. I often feel that music can better express emotions than words. I'm kind of an easy lay when it comes to musicals, too: I count High School Musical and Mamma Mia! as favorites. It absolutely flabbergasts me that musicals don't rake in all the money in the land. It just makes me antsy for adaptations of The Color Purple and Applause. I totally want to make Funny Face.
I'm supposed to tag five people, but I don't really know who hasn't been tagged yet. I'll go with four, at least: TomS, Who is the March King?, Peter Chan, and My Last Oscar
1. First things first, and I think I've mentioned this before: I go to film school. I don't know how I managed this coup, but I did. There was always a desire to be a writer-director, but film school taught me that such a creature is rare indeed. It also taught me that I do not want to be a director at all. The final lesson: though I do not write enough about cinematographers, nor do I pretend to know much about the craft itself...working with a camera is fucking sexy, and when you actually get a scene lit and framed perfectly, you feel like you can accomplish anything, like taming a wild bear.
2. The last time I saw Ghost, I literally bawled out loud, with the sobbing and hiccuping and everything. And this was at a party. I think it should have won Best Picture that year. True, it's been years since I've seen Dances with Wolves, and I love Awakenings and Goodfellas, and I haven't seen The Godfather: Part III. But Ghost, for me, is tops.
3. My first favorite movie was the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi. Universal horror was my bread and butter. The Black Cat, The Wolf Man, The Mummy...I even watched The Mummy's Hand and Tower of London. So it should come as no surprise that I love a lot of horror movies. I find the Franchise That Refuses to Die aspect of the genre charming, thus my adoration of the Saw movies. This love of horror also informs my choice for Favorite Actor of My Entire Life: Vincent Price.
4. I only read books and plays that sound like they'd make good movies. If they aren't already, that is, for most of my reading list consists of movies coming out later in the year. This may be a shallow way of going about literature, but that really covers a broad spectrum.
5. My sister Virginia nurtured my love of cinema. She pointed me to the great actresses: Mae West, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, Joan Crawford, and so on and so forth. It was she who encouraged me to embrace both classic and modern films. Only Virginia could introduce me to both How to Marry a Millionaire and Party Monster. Once, we even walked together to rent some movies. It was Virginia who took me to see Return of the Jedi and Spice World, and together we managed to make it through The Forgotten. She's an independent filmmaker in Atlanta, so hopefully one of us will have our name in lights in the future.
6. I've only 57 of the original AFI Top 100. I've only seen 61 of the new AFI Top 100. Among the films I've never seen: A Streetcar Named Desire, Schindler's List, Raging Bull, Sunset Boulevard and The Manchurian Candidate. I feel like a partial failure because of this.
7. When I watch a movie, I try to decide how it could translate to the stage. Nixon, for instance, is an opera, as is Elmer Gantry. Eyes Wide Shut is a ballet. I personally love the trend of turning movies into stage musicals, because I'm always thinking that way. The Wedding Singer is a great musical from a great movie; ditto The Producers and Hairspray. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but that's the same with any musical.
8. My celebrity crush of forever is Drew Barrymore. I have a DVD of her wishing me happy birthday at the premiere of Music and Lyrics. She's more than just a pretty face, of course. My favorite performances of hers, in order: The Wedding Singer, Ever After, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Grey Gardens, Everyone Says I Love You, Irreconcilable Differences. Strangely, I've seen none of her work between 1984 and 1995. Also strangely, I hate ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.
9. Top Ten Actresses, in order: Maggie Smith, Meryl Streep, Drew Barrymore, Patricia Clarkson, Bette Davis, Judi Dench, Audrey Hepburn, Julianne Moore, Susan Sarandon, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Top Ten Actors, in order: Vincent Price, Michael Caine, William Hurt, James Mason, William H. Macy, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Philip Baker Hall, Henry Gibson, Woody Allen
10. Musicals are my absolute favorite. I often feel that music can better express emotions than words. I'm kind of an easy lay when it comes to musicals, too: I count High School Musical and Mamma Mia! as favorites. It absolutely flabbergasts me that musicals don't rake in all the money in the land. It just makes me antsy for adaptations of The Color Purple and Applause. I totally want to make Funny Face.
I'm supposed to tag five people, but I don't really know who hasn't been tagged yet. I'll go with four, at least: TomS, Who is the March King?, Peter Chan, and My Last Oscar
Friday, February 19, 2010
Promoting Your Friends
For anyone interested in what we do here as film students at FSU, two of my classmates have started a YouTube channel documenting our lives. Mostly theirs, but the rest of us make appearances. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/btakm
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Stave Ten: In Which the Author Tells the Truth
DAY TEN OF HOLLMANN HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
Life in the film school is busy, you know. This is my first day without any duties to perform, fortunately, and so I can return to my sadly neglected HHE.
We are finally finished with shooting our F3s. This is the third narrative we have completed at the film school, and once again I have achieved a dream. I have finally written a piece that's been in my head since I was ten. And, most importantly, I worked on a Christmas movie. Appropriate, right?
The film is Star of Wonder, a seven-minute short written and directed by my friend Evan, a filmmaker whom I greatly respect and admire. Film follows a brother and sister during the Christmas season, just six months after the death of their older brother. The sister begins openly questioning the existence of Santa and God and Heaven, and it hurts her brother. She has a talk with their mother, who tries to convince her that it's not always about what's true, but what is your truth. You understand? It ends in the woods as the siblings follow a star to the tree where their brother died, and the ending...my God, the ending is beautiful.
Thank Whatever I worked on this movie. I grew up in the church, but I have since decided that Jesus is not the son of God. I still have trouble, though, coping with what I do believe in. Sometimes I think I'm an atheist. Other times, I can acknowledge the existence of a Creator, for everything on Earth works so perfectly and purposefully that it seems absurd to consider it all spontaneous. I find the Bible to be full of contradictions and lapses in logic, to be more symbolic than anything else. Yet I take great offense to those that would call it meaningless or garbage, for much of what is written in there has some historical context. Besides: Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Exodus, First and Second Kings, Judges -- that's some good shit. Sex and violence at every turn.
It is especially at this time of year when I think on these things. Christmas is my favorite holiday, yet the birth of Jesus means little to me spiritually. Of course, one can celebrate it as the birth of an influential historical figure, but I don't really celebrate the births of Mohammed and Moses, now do I? And it has its roots in the secular celebrations of the Winter Solstice, anyway, which I can totally get behind. (I love Winter. It's more cinematic.) At the same time, I hate it when the cynics use this fact as an attack on people who claim "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". I've gotten into many arguments on both sides. Yes, acknowledge the history of the holiday, for ignorance is stupid. But please respect that there are people who look forward to this annual date as a celebration of their faith.
A story:
Some friends and I were setting up a green screen. This was the week before Thanksgiving, and we eventually started discussing the holiday season. I declared my love of Christmas, with its hokey songs and tinsel and everything. One of my mates -- and I think he's great, don't get me wrong -- talked about its Pagan origins, and reasoned that what I thought of Christmas isn't true Christmas. It's meaningless. I scoffed and said, "I don't believe in Jesus, either. But I do believe in Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men. My Christmas is true for me."
That's what it's all about. And sure, you can reason that man is imperfect and incapable of Peace on Earth, so Jesus needed to be born in order to bring it forth. But I disagree. As Evan wrote in Star of Wonder, it's about whether or not there's some truth worth believing in. My truth is that we are all capable of good. We are all capable of love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlo1kldHjF8
Life in the film school is busy, you know. This is my first day without any duties to perform, fortunately, and so I can return to my sadly neglected HHE.
We are finally finished with shooting our F3s. This is the third narrative we have completed at the film school, and once again I have achieved a dream. I have finally written a piece that's been in my head since I was ten. And, most importantly, I worked on a Christmas movie. Appropriate, right?
The film is Star of Wonder, a seven-minute short written and directed by my friend Evan, a filmmaker whom I greatly respect and admire. Film follows a brother and sister during the Christmas season, just six months after the death of their older brother. The sister begins openly questioning the existence of Santa and God and Heaven, and it hurts her brother. She has a talk with their mother, who tries to convince her that it's not always about what's true, but what is your truth. You understand? It ends in the woods as the siblings follow a star to the tree where their brother died, and the ending...my God, the ending is beautiful.
Thank Whatever I worked on this movie. I grew up in the church, but I have since decided that Jesus is not the son of God. I still have trouble, though, coping with what I do believe in. Sometimes I think I'm an atheist. Other times, I can acknowledge the existence of a Creator, for everything on Earth works so perfectly and purposefully that it seems absurd to consider it all spontaneous. I find the Bible to be full of contradictions and lapses in logic, to be more symbolic than anything else. Yet I take great offense to those that would call it meaningless or garbage, for much of what is written in there has some historical context. Besides: Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Exodus, First and Second Kings, Judges -- that's some good shit. Sex and violence at every turn.
It is especially at this time of year when I think on these things. Christmas is my favorite holiday, yet the birth of Jesus means little to me spiritually. Of course, one can celebrate it as the birth of an influential historical figure, but I don't really celebrate the births of Mohammed and Moses, now do I? And it has its roots in the secular celebrations of the Winter Solstice, anyway, which I can totally get behind. (I love Winter. It's more cinematic.) At the same time, I hate it when the cynics use this fact as an attack on people who claim "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". I've gotten into many arguments on both sides. Yes, acknowledge the history of the holiday, for ignorance is stupid. But please respect that there are people who look forward to this annual date as a celebration of their faith.
A story:
Some friends and I were setting up a green screen. This was the week before Thanksgiving, and we eventually started discussing the holiday season. I declared my love of Christmas, with its hokey songs and tinsel and everything. One of my mates -- and I think he's great, don't get me wrong -- talked about its Pagan origins, and reasoned that what I thought of Christmas isn't true Christmas. It's meaningless. I scoffed and said, "I don't believe in Jesus, either. But I do believe in Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men. My Christmas is true for me."
That's what it's all about. And sure, you can reason that man is imperfect and incapable of Peace on Earth, so Jesus needed to be born in order to bring it forth. But I disagree. As Evan wrote in Star of Wonder, it's about whether or not there's some truth worth believing in. My truth is that we are all capable of good. We are all capable of love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlo1kldHjF8
I believe in Santa Claus
Like I believe in love
I believe in Santa Claus
And everything he does
There's no question in my mind
That he does exist
Just like love I know he's there
Waiting to be missed
I believe in Santa Claus
But there was a time
I thought I had grown to old
For such a childish rhyme
He became a dream to me
Till one Christmas night
Someone stood beside my bed
With a beard of white
"So you're too old for Santa Claus"?
He said with a smile
Then you're too old for all the things
That make a life worth while
For what is happiness but dreams
and do they all come true
Look at me and tell me, son
What is real to you?
Just believe in Santa Claus
Like you believe in love
Just believe in Santa Claus
And everything he does
Wipe that question from your mind
Yes, he does exist!
Just like love you knows he's there
Waiting to be missed
Just like love I know he's there
Waiting to be be missed
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Disappointment/Delight
As October waned, I made the effort to see some 2009 releases when not working on other people's films. And I did it! But first, some news:
Because of my actual Film School activities and some last minute rigmarole concerning ticketing, I was unable to attend the Ian McKellen thing. That will teach me to brag prematurely. The absolute worse part? I overheard this conversation at Borders two days later:
MAN: I saw Ian McKellen speak the other day at the theatre school.
WOMAN: Who?
MAN: You know, the guy from Harry Potter?
WOMAN: Oh, yeah...
MAN: Yeah, he was interesting. He sure could talk, though. After two hours, I was like, "Come on, already."
You, sir, did not deserve to see Ian McKellen, and not just because you think he's Michael Gambon. You got tired of watching him speak. You can take whatever Armistead Maupin book you picked out and shove it up your ass, for while you may be able to read, you are certainly illiterate in the realm of theatre and all that is holy. Shithead.
And now the reviews:
17 AGAIN
So, Matthew Perry's life is going down the tubes, and Brian Doyle Murray magics him into his younger self, who happens to be Zac Efron. Now he gets to help his kids...in HIGH SCHOOL. I remember laughing out loud and finding it perfectly charming. Yet I cannot really remember the movie itself. Zefron and Perry do a surprisingly good job of playing different ages of the same man, so that was neat. Zefron got Perry's mannerisms down to a T. And I liked the romance between Zefron and Leslie Mann -- that they sold it as uncreepily as they did says a lot about their abilities as actors. Other than that, and an odd date scene between Lt. Dangle and Jan Levinson-Gould...meh.
SAW VI
Holy crap, is this really the first movie I saw in theaters since Jennifer's Body? A good way to end October, surely. It's probably the smartest in the series since Saw II (which I love), and even gets to be relevant by taking on the Vice President of a Health Insurance Company! The challenges in this game are actually pretty suspenseful, and I cared a LOT about what happened to the characters this time around. It was nice to finally care again. The editing was also a lot less ADD this time around. Great fun, if you're into it. But if you don't like Saw to begin with, you won't see this anyway. That's OK, but you'll be missing some great entertainment.
A SERIOUS MAN
Some movies get better and better upon reflection. This is one of those. True, I only just saw it Sunday night, but even now, I'm thinking it's probably one of the best movies of the year. It's basic plot: Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) goes through a week of crises in a mostly Jewish community in 1967 Minnesota. You would think a movie that basically tells you God doesn't care and religion won't help would be a downer. Ok, it is in a way, but it is uproariously funny at the same time. The Coen Brothers may have won their Oscar in 2007, but this film is their true masterpiece. Stuhlbarg's performance should be generating more discussion, but for me, it was all about Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman, a pompous intellectual whose eloquent phraseology is hilarious in its pretentiousness. A gem of a comedy -- but DARK.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Despite the pacing issues -- the middle portion is QUITE padded -- I really enjoyed Where the Wild Things Are. I wasn't ready to be hurled into the darker, more complicated second half of the film, but I liked that it took me there. There's some real genius in the expansion of Maurice Sendak's universe, as written by Spike Jonze (also director) and Dave Eggers (who co-wrote the disappointing Away We Go earlier this year). Some deep, disturbing shit goes down in this movie, and it hits hard. Catherine Keener's teeny tiny role as the mom is great (as always), but let us not forget the Wild Things. Although they are not in the costumes, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper, etc., bring a lot to their table in their performances. And of course, Max Records, playing Max (appropriately enough), is just as talented as he is adorable. Can't wait for this kid to get more work.
Ack, but that Karen O score! Distracting, cacophonous, irritating! Yes, yes, it is appropriately "wild", but it was not my cuppa, thank you very much. Such a shame; "Maps" is my second favorite song of all of ever.
[Pic from AwardsDaily]
Because of my actual Film School activities and some last minute rigmarole concerning ticketing, I was unable to attend the Ian McKellen thing. That will teach me to brag prematurely. The absolute worse part? I overheard this conversation at Borders two days later:
MAN: I saw Ian McKellen speak the other day at the theatre school.
WOMAN: Who?
MAN: You know, the guy from Harry Potter?
WOMAN: Oh, yeah...
MAN: Yeah, he was interesting. He sure could talk, though. After two hours, I was like, "Come on, already."
You, sir, did not deserve to see Ian McKellen, and not just because you think he's Michael Gambon. You got tired of watching him speak. You can take whatever Armistead Maupin book you picked out and shove it up your ass, for while you may be able to read, you are certainly illiterate in the realm of theatre and all that is holy. Shithead.
And now the reviews:
17 AGAIN
So, Matthew Perry's life is going down the tubes, and Brian Doyle Murray magics him into his younger self, who happens to be Zac Efron. Now he gets to help his kids...in HIGH SCHOOL. I remember laughing out loud and finding it perfectly charming. Yet I cannot really remember the movie itself. Zefron and Perry do a surprisingly good job of playing different ages of the same man, so that was neat. Zefron got Perry's mannerisms down to a T. And I liked the romance between Zefron and Leslie Mann -- that they sold it as uncreepily as they did says a lot about their abilities as actors. Other than that, and an odd date scene between Lt. Dangle and Jan Levinson-Gould...meh.
SAW VI
Holy crap, is this really the first movie I saw in theaters since Jennifer's Body? A good way to end October, surely. It's probably the smartest in the series since Saw II (which I love), and even gets to be relevant by taking on the Vice President of a Health Insurance Company! The challenges in this game are actually pretty suspenseful, and I cared a LOT about what happened to the characters this time around. It was nice to finally care again. The editing was also a lot less ADD this time around. Great fun, if you're into it. But if you don't like Saw to begin with, you won't see this anyway. That's OK, but you'll be missing some great entertainment.
A SERIOUS MAN
Some movies get better and better upon reflection. This is one of those. True, I only just saw it Sunday night, but even now, I'm thinking it's probably one of the best movies of the year. It's basic plot: Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) goes through a week of crises in a mostly Jewish community in 1967 Minnesota. You would think a movie that basically tells you God doesn't care and religion won't help would be a downer. Ok, it is in a way, but it is uproariously funny at the same time. The Coen Brothers may have won their Oscar in 2007, but this film is their true masterpiece. Stuhlbarg's performance should be generating more discussion, but for me, it was all about Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman, a pompous intellectual whose eloquent phraseology is hilarious in its pretentiousness. A gem of a comedy -- but DARK.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Despite the pacing issues -- the middle portion is QUITE padded -- I really enjoyed Where the Wild Things Are. I wasn't ready to be hurled into the darker, more complicated second half of the film, but I liked that it took me there. There's some real genius in the expansion of Maurice Sendak's universe, as written by Spike Jonze (also director) and Dave Eggers (who co-wrote the disappointing Away We Go earlier this year). Some deep, disturbing shit goes down in this movie, and it hits hard. Catherine Keener's teeny tiny role as the mom is great (as always), but let us not forget the Wild Things. Although they are not in the costumes, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper, etc., bring a lot to their table in their performances. And of course, Max Records, playing Max (appropriately enough), is just as talented as he is adorable. Can't wait for this kid to get more work.
Ack, but that Karen O score! Distracting, cacophonous, irritating! Yes, yes, it is appropriately "wild", but it was not my cuppa, thank you very much. Such a shame; "Maps" is my second favorite song of all of ever.
[Pic from AwardsDaily]
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Please Be Jealous
I think one of the things I like most about the Film School is the endless opportunities it provides me to name-drop when talking with my parents. Sometimes it's teachers, sometimes it's speakers, all times it's amazing.
This past year alone has offered me opportunities to meet Oscar-nominated cinematographer Barry Makrowitz, (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb, Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne, and Lori Singer, star of the movie Footloose, the stage version of which I performed in twice (once as John Lithgow, the other as Kevin Bacon).
My professors include television director Chip Chalmers ("Melrose Place", "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), editor Steven Marks ("The X-Files", "Deadwood"), cinematographer Rexford Metz (he did the underwater scenes in Jaws), and writer-director-editor-producer Victor Nunez (Ulee's Gold, Ruby in Paradise, Spoken Word).
And now we get to meet Sir Ian McKellen on Tuesday. Can this major rock any more? The only problem I have is trying to resist the temptation to go all fanboy on some of these people. But hey, if I resisted going nuts on Lori Singer, I can deal with Gandalf.
Also, finished shooting my movie this past weekend. Pics to come.
This past year alone has offered me opportunities to meet Oscar-nominated cinematographer Barry Makrowitz, (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb, Oscar-winning writer-director Alexander Payne, and Lori Singer, star of the movie Footloose, the stage version of which I performed in twice (once as John Lithgow, the other as Kevin Bacon).
My professors include television director Chip Chalmers ("Melrose Place", "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), editor Steven Marks ("The X-Files", "Deadwood"), cinematographer Rexford Metz (he did the underwater scenes in Jaws), and writer-director-editor-producer Victor Nunez (Ulee's Gold, Ruby in Paradise, Spoken Word).
And now we get to meet Sir Ian McKellen on Tuesday. Can this major rock any more? The only problem I have is trying to resist the temptation to go all fanboy on some of these people. But hey, if I resisted going nuts on Lori Singer, I can deal with Gandalf.
Also, finished shooting my movie this past weekend. Pics to come.
Monday, October 12, 2009
I'm So Nervous I Could Shit
Busy, busy week. So busy, in fact, that the last movie I saw in a theater was Jennifer's Body. And I won't be able to go to the cinema house for Where the Wild Things Are until Tuesday, at the very least!
Fortunately, it's for a good reason. I spent Friday and Saturday working on a friend's set, and I liked what I saw. I'm beginning to really respect child actors: most of them have a real naturalism, a flow that has yet to be tainted by Acting Classes or people speaking of The Method. Yes, we all hope they grow as performers, but to see an untainted kid actor is truly amazing. It helps when the screenplay is great, of course, and I personally found this one to be haunting.
As soon as that was over, of course, we went full steam ahead on my film, which shoots this Friday and Saturday. And I am hella nervous because I meet with my teachers tomorrow for a Director's Prep. I have my tone clip (from The Hours), I've practiced my one-minute pitch, I've got a tagline and logline in mind. And I saw some storyboards my awesome Director of Photography cooked up. Locations and cast are all secure. I just hope it all goes well.
Anyway, I thought I'd talk about it now so no one wonders why I'm gone. Hopefully, I'll have pics at some point of the goings-on. Until then...
Fortunately, it's for a good reason. I spent Friday and Saturday working on a friend's set, and I liked what I saw. I'm beginning to really respect child actors: most of them have a real naturalism, a flow that has yet to be tainted by Acting Classes or people speaking of The Method. Yes, we all hope they grow as performers, but to see an untainted kid actor is truly amazing. It helps when the screenplay is great, of course, and I personally found this one to be haunting.
As soon as that was over, of course, we went full steam ahead on my film, which shoots this Friday and Saturday. And I am hella nervous because I meet with my teachers tomorrow for a Director's Prep. I have my tone clip (from The Hours), I've practiced my one-minute pitch, I've got a tagline and logline in mind. And I saw some storyboards my awesome Director of Photography cooked up. Locations and cast are all secure. I just hope it all goes well.
Anyway, I thought I'd talk about it now so no one wonders why I'm gone. Hopefully, I'll have pics at some point of the goings-on. Until then...
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Summer
I don't talk about film school much here, possibly because I like to escape into my own realm now and then. But damn, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't g.d. proud of this. I'm art director for a movie involving magic, stuffed animals, and middle school crushes. This means I have to make stuffed animals, and this is what the Production Designer and I have come up with:
Paco the Monkey, Pyramus the Bear
Pebble the Mouse
Princess the Stegosaurus
Paco the Monkey, Pyramus the Bear
Pebble the Mouse
Princess the Stegosaurus
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Faith and Frocks
This is the post I wrote for my class, as referenced by the previous blogpost. Enjoy.
Maybe it's just my fascination with the fashion of the time, maybe it's my Higgins-esque desire to make a woman into a lady, but I found the costumes in Carrie to be most telling. Most telling, indeed.
I love, for example, Margaret White's frock. For the majority of the film, she is only seen in that huge black frock. It is like a nun's habit, but without the head covering, appropriate enough for a woman as tied to God as Margaret believes herself to be. But oh! It is so much more than just a frumpy frock donned by your everyday religious nut (Is there any other type? In the movies, I mean?). That final monologue Margaret delivers on her knees, in confession to the "devil child", is so telling. Succumbing to sex not once, but twice, despite praying for the strength to resist -- AND SHE LIKED IT! And at the beginning, the recitation of Eve's original sin as she smacks her daughter in the face with a pamphlet. It is clear that Margaret sees herself as Eve: having been tempted by the devil's forbidden fruit (sex, sex, sex!), she is forced to cover herself to hide her shame. A fig leaf for Eve is a black gown for Margaret.
Likewise, Carrie covers herself after the prom. She dishonors her mother, even forcing the woman down so that she can go to the prom. She allows herself to be "tempted" by a cute boy and a shallow gym teacher, even committing the sin of pride when she votes for herself for Queen, even tempting the Devil himself as she does so! And yes, she is punished for this by the blood of a pig, an animal sacrifice, perhaps, though one that comes from an unclean meat (Leviticus 11:7). (May I point out, though, how even at the prom, she still has a bit of her mother's infuence, covering her "dirty pillows" with a shawl until her name is called to go onstage?)
So, yes, after the humiliation of it all, after the mass murder, after sending John Travolta and Chris into a roadside fireball, after bathing the blood off (high school can be so treacherous, you know?) -- Carrie comes out of the bathroom in a white frock, matching her mother. And yes, it is a nightgown, and perhaps that's all there is to it, but think about it. After she commits her own sins, not only does she return to her mother, the only person left who she thinks can understand her -- she dresses conservatively, covering her body. Covering her shame.
And now she and her mother both wear white gowns, white ceremonial gowns. Which only makes sense, because Margaret is about to murder her daughter with a huge fucking butcher knife (can I say fucking in a post, Andrew?). Now, this follows two Biblical passages. While the action of murdering her daughter with that huge knife is primarily reminiscient of Abraham showing his dedication to the Lord by sacrificing his son Isaac, it is also in accordance with Deuteronomy 21:18-21, in which it is outlined that a disobedient child should be stoned to death. "You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid (DEU 21:21, NIV)."
Margaret becomes avenging angel, with her white gown, sleeves spread like wings. Check out that ceiling above her, with the light reflecting just so; a halo, perhaps? And she is so gleeful. She is finally doing the Lord's work, just the way she always saw herself doing. The Old Testament fire-and-brimstone thing, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the death of Aaron's sons, Jezebel mauled by dogs. Of course, Piper Laurie's Oscar-nominated performance is just incredible, but the gown! The gown is really what sells this!
The religious elements of this film are just fascinating, and I adore how much of this is conveyed, not just through Margaret's dialogue or the creepy Jesus figure, but through these costumes. There is no better way to contrast high school and home, popular girls and outcasts, prophets and prom, than through these ingenious designs.
Do forgive the length, but Hot Damn do I love this movie!
Maybe it's just my fascination with the fashion of the time, maybe it's my Higgins-esque desire to make a woman into a lady, but I found the costumes in Carrie to be most telling. Most telling, indeed.
I love, for example, Margaret White's frock. For the majority of the film, she is only seen in that huge black frock. It is like a nun's habit, but without the head covering, appropriate enough for a woman as tied to God as Margaret believes herself to be. But oh! It is so much more than just a frumpy frock donned by your everyday religious nut (Is there any other type? In the movies, I mean?). That final monologue Margaret delivers on her knees, in confession to the "devil child", is so telling. Succumbing to sex not once, but twice, despite praying for the strength to resist -- AND SHE LIKED IT! And at the beginning, the recitation of Eve's original sin as she smacks her daughter in the face with a pamphlet. It is clear that Margaret sees herself as Eve: having been tempted by the devil's forbidden fruit (sex, sex, sex!), she is forced to cover herself to hide her shame. A fig leaf for Eve is a black gown for Margaret.
Likewise, Carrie covers herself after the prom. She dishonors her mother, even forcing the woman down so that she can go to the prom. She allows herself to be "tempted" by a cute boy and a shallow gym teacher, even committing the sin of pride when she votes for herself for Queen, even tempting the Devil himself as she does so! And yes, she is punished for this by the blood of a pig, an animal sacrifice, perhaps, though one that comes from an unclean meat (Leviticus 11:7). (May I point out, though, how even at the prom, she still has a bit of her mother's infuence, covering her "dirty pillows" with a shawl until her name is called to go onstage?)
So, yes, after the humiliation of it all, after the mass murder, after sending John Travolta and Chris into a roadside fireball, after bathing the blood off (high school can be so treacherous, you know?) -- Carrie comes out of the bathroom in a white frock, matching her mother. And yes, it is a nightgown, and perhaps that's all there is to it, but think about it. After she commits her own sins, not only does she return to her mother, the only person left who she thinks can understand her -- she dresses conservatively, covering her body. Covering her shame.
And now she and her mother both wear white gowns, white ceremonial gowns. Which only makes sense, because Margaret is about to murder her daughter with a huge fucking butcher knife (can I say fucking in a post, Andrew?). Now, this follows two Biblical passages. While the action of murdering her daughter with that huge knife is primarily reminiscient of Abraham showing his dedication to the Lord by sacrificing his son Isaac, it is also in accordance with Deuteronomy 21:18-21, in which it is outlined that a disobedient child should be stoned to death. "You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid (DEU 21:21, NIV)."
Margaret becomes avenging angel, with her white gown, sleeves spread like wings. Check out that ceiling above her, with the light reflecting just so; a halo, perhaps? And she is so gleeful. She is finally doing the Lord's work, just the way she always saw herself doing. The Old Testament fire-and-brimstone thing, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the death of Aaron's sons, Jezebel mauled by dogs. Of course, Piper Laurie's Oscar-nominated performance is just incredible, but the gown! The gown is really what sells this!
The religious elements of this film are just fascinating, and I adore how much of this is conveyed, not just through Margaret's dialogue or the creepy Jesus figure, but through these costumes. There is no better way to contrast high school and home, popular girls and outcasts, prophets and prom, than through these ingenious designs.
Do forgive the length, but Hot Damn do I love this movie!
Why Must Movies Be So Awesome?
May...may I post something here from something else? You see, I have this class that makes us watch movies every Tuesday and Thursday, and then we blog about them. And last night, we saw one of the best movies I have ever seen. It shook me to the core, and this, alongside Elmer Gantry, give me reason to reevaluate my Top Ten Films of All Time.
Now, help me out here. I want to make sure I'm not crazy. My recent obsession with Xanadu was absurd, I know (though justified). So maybe I'm just crazy. Surely it isn't normal to sit sobbing in a movie theater for the entire final ten minutes of the film. And surely it isn't a sane person who downloads both the movie score and the Broadway soundtrack the day after seeing this.
I don't know. Last night, I sat down to watch a horror movie. I wound up seeing one of the most beautiful, horrifying, truest portraits of high school (and adult) insecurities I've seen. It's haunting and magnificent, and making me question whether or not this should be the landmark film of 1976, instead of Network and Rocky.
Now, help me out here. I want to make sure I'm not crazy. My recent obsession with Xanadu was absurd, I know (though justified). So maybe I'm just crazy. Surely it isn't normal to sit sobbing in a movie theater for the entire final ten minutes of the film. And surely it isn't a sane person who downloads both the movie score and the Broadway soundtrack the day after seeing this.
I don't know. Last night, I sat down to watch a horror movie. I wound up seeing one of the most beautiful, horrifying, truest portraits of high school (and adult) insecurities I've seen. It's haunting and magnificent, and making me question whether or not this should be the landmark film of 1976, instead of Network and Rocky.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Adventures in Film School
I like how much freedom we get with these weekend projects. Sure, we only get to do 60-second, single-shot compositions, but everything else is fair game.
For instance, last week I did a film about someone losing toilet paper. This week, I did one about a girl strapping a guy to a chair, taking off his shirt, and stealing his wallet. Last week's turned out pretty well; this week's was a challenge, but hopefully editing will take care of everything.
This is a pretty game group I'm working with. Chris and Rebeca worked outside lights, and got destroyed by skeeters in the process. Stef managed the lights and stayed with me through choosing angles and shots. And Datev, sweet, unassuming Datev, agreed to play the Vixen.
Great experience. I wish I had my own DVDs of these projects. I hope I can get or make a copy somehow, but I understand the ones we submit stay with the Film School. Some pictures were taken of the last one, so maybe I can get those.
Editing's a bitch, though.
For instance, last week I did a film about someone losing toilet paper. This week, I did one about a girl strapping a guy to a chair, taking off his shirt, and stealing his wallet. Last week's turned out pretty well; this week's was a challenge, but hopefully editing will take care of everything.
This is a pretty game group I'm working with. Chris and Rebeca worked outside lights, and got destroyed by skeeters in the process. Stef managed the lights and stayed with me through choosing angles and shots. And Datev, sweet, unassuming Datev, agreed to play the Vixen.
Great experience. I wish I had my own DVDs of these projects. I hope I can get or make a copy somehow, but I understand the ones we submit stay with the Film School. Some pictures were taken of the last one, so maybe I can get those.
Editing's a bitch, though.
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